Chosen (Second Sight) Read Online Free PDF Page B

course,” Geoffrey said, finally turning to Susan. “Of course. Let’s try the main house.” He led the way. “Sometimes I get carried away with everything we do here. I’ll talk forever.”
    Though they’d seen a number of people moving among the crops or women watching over the playgrounds, no one had ever been close enough to really see, let alone question. Except for one red-headed young boy–the one who had peeked at them from under the slide. Even so, he kept his distance.  
    Geoffrey led the way to the back of the mansion and held the door for them.
    If the commune grounds and fields were serenely picturesque, the inside of the main house was a beehive of activity. In the rear of the house, they passed an enormous kitchen with three sets of doors. Wooden crates of vegetables that looked as though they’d just been picked lined the corridor and, through the doors, Isabelle could see a virtual army of women either chopping or cooking. Stainless steel appliances gleamed. Four enormous stoves were full of large pots. Behind them, a wall of refrigerators and ovens held doors that seemed to be opening and closing non-stop. The women were chatting and laughing.
    “They look like they’re cooking for a city,” Isabelle said as they passed.
    “We’re not only able to support our own community,” Geoffrey said. “We also take meals to the surrounding towns. Canning only goes so far.”
    As they passed, several bright faces beamed at them–or rather at Geoffrey , Isabelle noticed. He took just a fraction of a second to acknowledge each one: a small nod, a quick wave, a wink. None of them gave either her or Susan a second look. No one even seemed to notice her gloves.
    Although that was unusual, something else seemed out of place.
    Though Isabelle couldn’t put her finger on it, something just at the periphery of her awareness nagged at her as they moved down the wide central corridor of the house. Susan lingered behind for a moment but then caught up with them.
    “How many people are there here?” she asked.
    “Oh,” said Geoffrey, waving his hand. “I’ve lost count. Maybe six hundred? Seven?”
    “Geoffrey!” said a young woman who’d been heading to the kitchen. “Maurice is looking for you.”
    Maybe in her mid-twenties, she’d have been very pretty except for the large nose. Her blue eyes were focused entirely on Geoffrey’s. She paused, smiling at him, as he reached out a hand to her round and protruding stomach.  
    “I hope you’re feeding that little one enough,” he said.
    She covered his hand with hers.
    “I’m headed to the kitchen right now,” she replied.
    Suddenly, Isabelle realized what had struck her about the kitchen. Several of the women there had been pregnant. The young woman resumed her path, a smile lingering on her face, her hand on her tummy.  
    Maybe the pregnant women in the commune tended to work in the kitchen , Isabelle thought. Rather than the fields. But even for a community of several hundred–
    “Geoffrey!” said a young man approaching them with an electronic tablet in his hand. They had reached the center of the large house and, in addition to the many double-doored rooms they passed, the wide corridor branched off at regular intervals. Isabelle peered down the one the young man had come from and through an open door. It looked like a telemarketing operation–young women with headsets seated at computer monitors. Despite the sandals and homemade look to the clothes, it was as though they’d walked into a corporate headquarters.
    “I just wanted to pass these Facebook posts by you.”  
    In his twenties and with that same physique that said there had to be a gym somewhere on the premises, the man presented Geoffrey with the tablet and smiled at Isabelle.
    “Enjoying the tour?” he asked her as Geoffrey perused the tablet, occasionally swiping or tapping.
    “It’s amazing,” said Isabelle as Susan came to her side.
    “Good work,” said Geoffrey